I never wrote sub plans my first couple of years. I never called out sick, even when I needed to. I also always assumed one of my assistants would be able to cover me if I was, for some strange reason, out unexpectedly. All of the time I took off I was able to prepare in my classroom the night before.
Until the unbelievable happened. I was diagnosed with shingles in fall of 2017. I was highly contagious and I was not allowed in my classroom to set things up for my sub. One of my assistants had to miss the first hour of work but. he was going to be in the classroom by 8:30.
Everything would have been fine, until we found out that my second assistant’s flight back the night before had also been cancelled. She got a new flight but she also wasn’t going to get to my classroom until 9. My students were going to arrive at 7:30 and no one who knew how to run my classroom was going to be there.
Don’t worry, they survived with the help of assistants from other self-contained programs in my school and as soon as I got back, I made real sub plans. Here are the 4 steps I recommend to make your own emergency sub plans:
Step 1: Explain everything
Even if your classroom seems to be an obvious well-oiled machine, write out all of the details. Write where a sub can find your morning calendar book. Explain how to reset the three-tier systems.
Think about everything you do with your class. Think about the materials you pull and where they are stored. Don’t leave your sub searching for the bin of dry erase markers to complete the task cards with your class. Tell her exactly where to find them.
Step 2: Alter the schedule
I would change up my schedule ahead of time to make it easier for my sub. I always found that there were parts of my day that were easier for my assistant to do then a sub.
Instead of having my assistant support a student in third-grade music and having my sub lead my reading group, I would have the sub go to inclusion and have my assistant stay in my room. I would review the alternative schedule with my assistants earlier so they knew what to expect if I was out.
Step 3: Make cheat sheets
I like to make simple cards with the basic information about my students, including their picture. My sub might need to go to the car line to get a student at morning drop off. It is helpful if she can see a picture to know who she is looking for.
I also make sure she knew the student should have a communication device in their hand (so it doesn’t get left on the backseat of the car) and that it is important to hold their hand to get them safely into the school. You don’t need a full page of information, just the basics that will help the sub have a smooth day.
Step 4: Have review materials
I taught a 3-5 classroom that participated in alternative state standards. By October, I would be teaching adapted lessons on electricity and fractions. I loved exposing my class to academics but oftentimes these lessons were too tough to expect a sub to implement.
Instead, I would leave review activities. I would have my sub follow my same schedule but the activities she plugged in would be ones my students were familiar with. Instead of fractions in math, they would review one to one correspondence. Instead of the Unique lesson of the day, they would read a simple story or review a poem. I would have a file with all of the activities already copy so my sub could just grab and go.
I actually made print and go sub plans, for this purpose. These were designed for my class and are perfect for any self-contained classroom. Grab a set, print it and be confident that when you wake up sick, your team will know what to do.